Shloka 6

Brāhmaṇya-प्रश्नः — The Inquiry into Attaining Brāhmaṇya

Mataṅga–Gardabhī Itihāsa

Devanagari script

उपस्पृश्य फल कि स्यात्तेषु तीर्थेषु वै मुने । प्रेत्यभावे महाप्राज्ञ तद्‌ यथास्ति तथा वद

Transliteration

upaspṛśya phalaṁ ki syāt teṣu tīrtheṣu vai mune | pretyabhāve mahāprajña tad yathāsti tathā vada ||

Translation

Бхишма сказал: «О мудрец, какой плод обретают, совершая омовение в тех священных тиртхах, в тех святых бродах? О великий разумом, поведай истину так, как она есть: каков результат после смерти от такого тиртха-омовения?»

Word by Word

• उपस्पृश्य: having bathed (by touching water)
• उपस्पृश्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: उपस्पृश् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप् (क्त्वा-प्रत्ययार्थे अव्ययभावः), कर्तरि, having bathed/touched (water) after approaching

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• स्यात्: would be / may be
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, optative, 3rd, Singular, परस्मैपद

• तेषु: in those
• तेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Plural

• तीर्थेषु: in the sacred fords/pilgrimage places
• तीर्थेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Plural

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (निपात)

• मुने: O sage
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• प्रेत्यभावे: in the state after death
• प्रेत्यभावे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत्यभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• महाप्राज्ञ: O greatly wise one
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाप्राज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• तत्: that (matter)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• यथा: as / how
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)

• अस्ति: is
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, present, 3rd, Singular, परस्मैपद

• तथा: so / in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)

• वद: tell / speak
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्, imperative, 2nd, Singular, परस्मैपद

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• mune (a sage interlocutor)
• tīrtha (sacred fords/pilgrimage places)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a dharma-inquiry: the value of tīrtha-bathing is to be assessed by its true post-mortem consequence (phala), and the sage is asked to state the reality without exaggeration—linking ritual practice to ethical truth and ultimate outcome.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma, in instruction mode, questions a sage about the specific spiritual results of bathing at certain sacred places, especially regarding what benefit accrues after death, requesting an accurate account of the matter.